Claremont receives highest grade for work on historical preservation

March 27, 2014 4:14 PM

Claremont received an “A+” in the 2014 Los Angeles County Preservation Report Card released on Tuesday, March 11 by the Los Angeles Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that works to recognize, preserve and revitalize the historic architectural and cultural resources of Los Angeles County.

The report card assesses local governments’ current efforts to ensure the preservation of historic and cultural resources. Each of the county’s 89 jurisdictions are graded on the elements they have in place at the local level, such as ordinances and incentive programs, to help preserve historic places. Claremont was noted as an example of a city with an alternative approach to preservation. While the city does not have a specific preservation ordinance, the city has passed several ordinances that together provide design review protection for historic resources.

It was noted in the report that Claremont’s preservation program began in the late 1960’s before there was a standard model for historic preservation ordinances, and the establishment of the Historic Claremont District in 1971 was one of the earliest historic districts in California. The city lost points for not having a dedicated historic preservation commission, but received extra credit for its mansionization ordinance adopted in 2009 that reduced the potential size of new homes. The city received a score of 245 points out of a maximum total score of 245. The full report is on the Los Angeles Conservancy website at www.laconservancy.org/report-card.